Lounge #165 Now Welcoming New & Old Loungers

I know we only had 28 posts on our old thread but we were getting buried. I don't think threads bounce to the top based on the latest post anymore. I really miss our MIA's and those who can't post very often. I hope we get more returning and new members. That would be something to toast to. I'm assuming it's that kind of lounge. That what we call the shady part of our Balcony here in FL where we have our afternoon libations.

I doubt we'll be out there drinking until fall; it's sooooo hot, humid and it rains every day now. Barb flew home yesterday and I miss her already. On the other hand, I'm getting a lot done

Hi, Barry, we must have been posting at the same time. Your flowers sound sooooo beautiful. FL is beautiful but not in that kind of way. So many flowers don't do well this far South in the summertime. We're in Zone 11. It's so hot and humid here in the summer that we pretty much do stay inside with our A/C. I took the trash down about 8:00 this morning and was dripping when I walked back the 1/2 block from the dumpster to my condo. I have actually acclimated which means I still sweat like crazy but do not feel faint or like I have heat stroke. It always takes me about a month every spring to get used to it.

Glad Shorty has a hobby, same one our cats enjoy. Don't think the tailless lizards enjoy it, though. I've had to bring the cats' food inside because we have nasty crows and blue jays who eat all their food and poop on the Balcony. AACK!!!

I started laundry and should finish it up but am flagging. It's past lunchtime so I should eat first. Good to hear from you.

Since it's a bit slow on this post I thought I would join in. Out here in So. Calif. it's supposed to get up to the high 90s today. Can I say at my age (68) I HATE the heat. 82 is perfect weather for me but at least we don't usually get humidity.

Mikie. Good to read you're recuperating nicely. I know I've read about Barb.....is she a friend who was visiting? I thought maybe she was a neighbor.

Barry: I'll have to go search for your post. Always like to read about gardens. I just read your post. Your garden sounds really lovely. I didn't realize alstromeria reseed themselves. Last week I was out for a walk and saw huge pods on a neighbor's plant. And apparently I've been too quick with cutting the old stalks off. Call me really dense.

It's been a week since I started taking gabapentin for both's FM and head tremors. The jury is still out on both but I have to say much less pain. I don't want to declare that it a winner in my book because I've now got IBS almost daily. The nurse told me today to try cutting the dose in half......thankfully I have some empty gelatin capsules that I bought a few years ago.

I try to keep busy with my little "store" on ETSY. If you're not familiar it's like Ebay but not, since you put what you're selling and it lasts 4 months....pretty good for only 20cents to list an item. I used to have a little antique business and still have lots of linens, vintage clothes, antique buttons, and other smalls. I've been trying really hard to clean out my house......don't want my kids to face this mess when one day I fly away to heaven.

I stopped at Armstrong Nursery this morning and bought MORE plants. Now I just need to figure out where to tuck them. Since it's hot I'll need to do this after dinner when it's cooler and the plants can rest. My staple in the garden is sea lavender statice. It will last at least 4 years in our area and it makes nice fill all year round. So I bought a pony pack of that, and some zinnias and marigolds. Love the hot colors for summer.

Am too illish to post. will be brief. Welcome, Sunflowergirl. do you go to the nursery in
Glendale? Gordon and I were there a couple weeks ago. He bought a pink Ivy Geranium
and some potting soil. I bought a cherry tomato plant.

Here's a conundrum fur ya. If you steal a clean slate, does it go on your record?
Sounds like something from Steven Wright, the world's most mournful comic.

Mikie -- Please send us some rain if you are having to much. We sure could use some more rain in TX. It is getting so hot and dry. How is your shoulder doing after your surgery? I know that it takes some time to get it back and feeling the way it should. You all talking about flowers . It sounds so pretty with all the different colors. Unfortunatly our property has little sun which moves around during the day so most are green plants with little flowers other than azeleas (sp?), impatiens, and forget what else. Marrigolds sounds so bright and pretty,

Hope some more Loungers stop by soon. There are so many missing from the Porch too.

Rock, I hope you are feeling betterish. I'd say if you steal a clean slate, you just chalk it up to experience. Or, they make you write, "I will not steal," 100 times with the chalk on the slate.

Sunflower, try not to wilt in the heat. It's been in the high 90's in CO too. It's hotter there than here. We're in the high 80's or very low 90's. Of course, the humidity makes it feel hotter. I think A/C rivals the wheel and fire for innovations. Oh, that and mosquito spray Honestly, I don't know how people lived here before A/C and the spray. Of course, the spray is likely causing us to mutate into something from a B horror flick. Yikes!!! Strangely, when they sprayed this toxic stuff, which has been banned everywhere except in our county, my FMS and CFIDS/ME symptoms, back when I had them, would disappear. I never felt so well as did when I got a good dose of it in the air.

Barb is my next door neighbor. She and her husband were the first residents of our bldg. when it was completed. I moved in 3 yrs. later. Her husband died 2 1/2 years ago. We've always been close (they were like my brother and sister) but since her husband died, we spend more time together. When she's here, we have coffee together almost every morning out on our Balcony. Friends, neighbors, their dogs and, of course, the cats all join us. We get together with other friends in the hood and go out for lunch now and then. I call Barb "My sister from another mister." Tues., I dropped her off at the airport to go North for a couple of months. She likes it down here but, like me, her family isn't here.

Hi, Granni, geez, seems like we are awash, no pun intended, in rain while it's baking everywhere else. The weather is all messed up. We depend on deep aquafiers for our drinking water so we need all this rain to keep them filled. This last year, we had to drill a new well for our sprinkler system. We use ground water beneath us for irrigation. Of course, we don't water as much in the summer but we still have to water some. We are on the county's water for our taps in our homes. It tastes awful and I will only drink filtered ice and water from my fridge. The ground water is putrid and when the sprinklers run, it smells like rotten eggs--sulpher.

Mom and I once went to St. Augustine at Christmas on the way home from Disney World. We went to the Fountain of Youth. I drank a small cup from the spring and it was just like our ground water. It must have been the sulpher in the water which gave old Ponce a boost.

Just heard from kids in Denver and Atlanta. They will all be in Denver when I'm there in Dec. Everyone is soooo excited. It's been more than three years since we've all been together as a family. I got my tickets for only $130 each way round trip. That's dirt cheap and I could get it paid for with rewards. Think I just might do that. Air Tran sends me e-mails when they run these el cheapo fares. I have to act quickly before they are sold out.

Shoulder is hunky dory ever since I rested it for four days. Yesterday, I just did light housework and no pain. Yea! This morning, I'm going over to the pool just to run in the shallow end. No swimming laps yet. I'll sit in the sun for half an hour to get my vitamin D and a little color on my pasty Irish bod. Actually, I'm starting to get a little color. Can't get sun on my face, though, since having had some laser work under the eyes and the all-over chemo a couple of years ago.

Think I'll finish my coffee and read the paper. Then, I'll head over to the pool. We just got some beautiful new striped umbrellas for the deck furniture. They match our chairs, which are turquoise, and have brown and white stripes as well. They look great!

Your water sounds really awful! I don't find our city water bad but I know some do. Speaking of water, so far no rationing yet. I've put in a lot of succulents that can survive with very little water. I have put in some other plants this summer so I need to water those twice a day with this heat. We took out our lawn at least 20 years ago. I hated to waste water on it, mow it, then water, then mow, then feed, then water. An endless waste of our resources.

That's a great price you got on the air fare. It will be really great for you all to get together at once. Hard to believe Andy is that old! Seems like I remember his little baby pics.

It's been hot but not as hot as a friend in Oklahoma told me.....110 plus humidity. UGH.

By the way, when we were on Sanibel Island about 12 years ago I almost died from being bit by no seeums. Had over l00 bites.....I counted when I went to the doctor for something to help the itching that I couldn't control. Unbelieveable, and yet my husband didn't get one bite. Does your city spray for mosquitos or is it the complex you live in? I'm always careful to empty anything with sitting water but that doesn't preclude a neighbor having something.

My big problem lately has been a possum that keeps getting my tomatoes. I've put netting all around them, stapling it to a wood fence and it seemed to work until I found a small hole and yesterday an even larger hole in it. GRRRRR. I've declared war. I'm going to rip out the tomatoes if he somehow gets in again. I've yet to eat any ripe ones and he's had 6. Not fair!

Hi, Sunflower, for some reason, the bold went on automatically until I typed something and then, it let me unbold. I figure bold is appropriate in saying hi to you. OMG! It's been soooo hot in some places. A reporter was out in Las Vegas before dawn and it was in the 90's. He said that was the official temp but that it was much hotter on the strip. AACK!!! I think I'll take FL with our low 90's, high 80's and humidity. Our winter weather is to die for, no pun intended as some call FL, God's Waiting Room.

Yes, some people don't believe in no see ems but they exist and do seem to find some of us tastier than others. This time of year, we wear a good bug spray because one never knows what is lurking out there to bite us. We do have some West Nile here so it's important to protect ourselves. The county sprays for mosquitos and other biting insects. They use a helicopter with long spraying arms. They also have small tractors with tanks on them to get into neighborhoods. The spraying program does a good job but it can't get all the nasty little critters. That's why we spray ourselves.

Have you tried hanging some little chimes or bells around the plants? Possums are very shy and will usually run away at the first sound or movement. Just a thought. Our possum thinks she's a cat and will finish off any cat food left out when it's dark. Last winter when we had some cold nights, a neighbor saw Tweety and the possum snuggled up together. Tweety and Sylvester think the other critters, like the possums and otters, are their little playmates. They leave the raccoons alone because the raccoons are very aggressive toward other animals. They run from people, though.

I talked to DD up in Atlanta and the whole family thing may be falling apart a bit. She will buy a ticket for herself on sale but not one for Andy. I'll see him in about a week or so down here. If there are non-rev seats, he will come with her. DSIL will probably not come as that's the time of year he hoards his time off for Christmas. I'll see them all at Disney World in Oct. Oy! This is getting complicated. Parents of DSIL in Denver have moved there from Houston so we will get to see them too. I hope if I give Barb some cat food, she will feed the cats while I'm away. They can eat at Jeff's too so I don't think they will starve. I worry most about Simon as he's homeless and, I think kinda old. He depends on us more.

Despite all these travel plans, I've really been on an austerity program. I just got a 20 percent off coupon from HSN but really don't need anything. Bealls sent me a coupon for $10 off any $25 purchase. A lot of times, they already mark things down 40 percent, so the $10 coupon can be a good deal. I've used them to buy gifts, coffee and underwear if I don't need anything else. I also get flip flops because I go through them so fast down here.

Oh, a guy on CBS Morning News is giving tips on keeping the mosquitos away. How timely!

OK, gotta go take a shower and get groceries today because it's the last day I can use my Publix $5 coupon on a $40 purchase. I'll go to Bealls first just to check it out. I enjoy shopping even if I don't find anything I need to buy. I try to use coupons and sales to stock up on things I need all the time. It saves money in the long run. Think I will use rewards for my flight. I'm waiting til after summer for Disney to offer FL residents the el cheapo three-day pass to Disney World. I'm like a kid; I never get tired of going there. I'm so excited.

Well, I think I've taken up enough space here. Stay cool and hydrated. BTW, Smart Water tastes like the best water ever but it contains electrolytes. I get it at Costco and save quite a bit on it.

Turns out I did use the Bealls coupon to buy a new swim suit. With the sale and the coupon, I got a $78 suit for $38. Not too bad. Between the sun and chlorine in our pool, out swim suits don't last too long. I have several and try to switch them around but they still give out. I've only had one two years, in which time I seldom used the pool. As I put it on and pulled it up, I could feel and hear the elastic make that noise when it's shot. I looooove that suit. It's strapless so I don't get lines. It has straps I can put on if I need to to hold it up as I jog in the shallow end. New suit is a geometric orange and white print. It looks life a shift dress in the front but no longer than any suit and it gathers on the side to a tie, kinda sarong like. It is like any other one-piece suit in the back. I absolutely love this style.

At Bed Bath & Beyond, I found the really flat clothes hangers like the ones by Joy Mangano on HSN. With my 20 percent off coupon, I got them for a lot less than hers. She includes other things I don't want. My closet is full with current clothes and my skinny clothes that I dream of someday wearing again. With these hangers, I can fit more things. It's mostly tee shirts and tops that crowd things out. The best part is that they are made of "no slip" material which keeps tops from sliding off.

CBS Sunday Morning is doing a segment on mosquitos. Researchers are interested because they carry diseases. They showed a mother who lost her daughter to a mosquito borne disease. Wal-Mart has a double pack of the Back Woods spray and I'll be picking them up. It's like a BOGO. Last night, one was buzzing around my face in bed til I sprayed a little on my neck. I'm not as worried about the bites, but I do worry about the diseases. Interestingly, researchers have found that people with higher levels of blood glucose levels are more attractive to the skeeters. Guess they like sweets too. Another good reason to get my blood sugar count back down.

It would seem I now have a dairy allergy. I think it was the "Wheat Belly" book which warned that if one were allergic to wheat, one might develop an allergy to dairy. This morning, I put Lactaid milk in my coffee and I've had none of the stomach cramping which isn't unusual in the mornings after breakfast. Tomorrow, I'm gonna use it for my gluten-free flax buds. The only silver lining is that I'm actually eating healthy things. I've lost my desire for all the sweet baked things and ice cream. Hope I lost more weight. So far now, 8 lbs.

OK, y'all, gotta go. Hope you are having a great weekend and staying cool.

Diane - that is interesting a "stay cation". We will not be going anywhere either on the holiday. DH hates to drive very far especially during the holidays when there are usually more crazies out there drinking and driving, etc. We will have a late lunch and then one couple we know will be coming over and we will play Tripoli? That is a really fun game a combo of Poker and hearts, I think. We will just eat snacks and play games, and drink some wine too. It is fun and we can have a wild time playing for $1.00 !!! Sorry to hear about the storms. Hope they ease up, for sure !!! for you. We surely could use some rain for sure. Getting rather dry in some spots.

Gee, I can't believe that Rosie has been with you for a year already. Time is just flying by around here, I can't believe how fast.

Hi to Mike too. Nothing to exciting happening here really except we did go out to eat at a nice place with 2 other couples last night. it was fun and now we stay home and cook for some time !!! Hope your shoulder is feeling better and better each day.

Just wanted to say hi to you both and see if I could catch someone new, or old in the Lounge !!!

Going to have steaks on the grill tonight with salad and a veggie. We are eating lite with this hot weather. Today in mid 90's but cooler than yesterday when it hit at least 100 degrees.

Diane, glad you're not here; it's pouring rain and thundering like crazy. Been hearing on TV about all these kids getting hit by lightening. People were amazed that some kids were hit by a storm 5 miles away. A lot of people don't realize just how far lightening can strike. My rule is that if I can even hear any thunder, I stay inside. We have a lot of lightening strikes in FL. The schools have some kind of lightening warning systems and if they detect any lightening for miles, the kids go in. A kid at a private school, without the sensors, was just killed. It's so sad.

I'm wondering whether the bacteria they use in sour cream and yogurt act like probiotics (actually, they are probiotics) and that's why you can tolerate them. I'm going to try yogurt. The Lactaid milk is good. Andy's birthday is the 2nd and they will celebrate the 4th at home. They will likely get her on the 7th or 8th.

Yes, Costco used to carry those little K-Cups and they were sooooo much cheaper. I just got two boxes of 80 K-Cups on sale for $5 off each box. They are much cheaper anyway so the $5 really helped. It's too hot to sit out for coffee on the Balcony now so we aren't serving coffee like we do in cooler weather. I've cut down to one cup a day. I'll probably drink two again once the Balcony Breakfast Club opens again.

Granni, I also like the term, "Stay Cation." It's what I mostly do. Glad I got to travel a bit when I was younger, before I got sick. I don't like flying any more and I hate holiday traffic. We just had a guy here shot to death by a road rager. The guy had called 911 and the dispatchers heard the gunshots which killed the guy. Evidently the shooter had been following him and he thought the guy was up to something. They are looking for the shooter.

Thanks, my shoulder is still sore sometimes but is getting better overall. Think I'll try doing the PT lightly. I also haven't had much appetite in this heat. Just cleaned out the fridge. Scary! Even scarier is cleaning out the freezer tomorrow. Next day, I want to put my new hangers in the closet to see how much space it frees up. Then, I have to clean the condo for the kids' visit. Carpet needs shampooing again but I'll wait until they leave.

Good to see you both posting. Wish more of our MIA would return to the Lounge. I miss they.

You guys were talking about the little cups for coffee. My daughter has a Keurig machine.....very expensive for the coffee. I heard recently that you can buy some type of little cup and put your own coffee in it. Is that what you're talking about. I just have a Mr. Coffee and have always just made one cup at a time even though it's for l2 cups and it makes good coffee. I've recently switched to using whipping cream in my coffee.....trying to put on some weight. OMG is it GOOD!

All that talk about summer storms and lightening strikes! Scary. It's a rarity that we ever get rain in so. calif. although I remember years ago we were in the mountains and there was the most spectacular heat lightening.

Mikie, are those hangers the kind with black fuzz on them? I've recently bought more of those...love them and slowly getting rid of my metal hangers. I dumped the plastic a few years ago. They take up way too much room in the closet.

EGADS.....I hate to clean out a freezer! About every 6 months I dig in and try to do something with the freezer burn stuff! LOL. Usually I make a batch of dog food for my daughter's dog with this and that and some fresh veggies added.....that or soup.

Not sure what we'll do for the 4th. My son in law owns a beach house and his family will be gathering again to see the fireworks from the balcony. I'm mending from trying to take gabapentin (first day today without bad stomach upset in 9 days) so I'll just have to see how I feel.

I've spent my day working on a murder mystery I started a few years ago. I figured this was a good way to keep my mind off how I'm feeling. (got any ideas on poisons that are hard to trace)? Guess I need to read some Agatha Cristy novels. I've got several started......darn but it's hard to write for longer than 30 min. a stretch......I keep getting up and walking around. One novel I figure I'm about l/3 thru but the problem is it's gotten cold in my head and I'm stuck at this point. That one is at least l2 years old.

I am reading Leonard Maltin's book on radio. I am so old I remember listening to
the shows he's talking about when they were first broadcast. Still listen to some
of them. A few are available (free) on line. As many have observed over the years,
radio stimulated your imagination. Television seems to be making people stupider.

Mikie, I believe Superman had to write "I Will Not Steal" 100 times on the
chalkboard. This is what ultimately led to his becoming the Man of Steel.
Hope your shoulder continues to improve.

Diane, you and Kevin enjoying your staycation? Sounds like a good thing
for the dog days of summer. The expression "dog days" comes from ancient
Rome. The Romans would tell their dogs, "Stay. Good boy."

Barry, I was going to say that we have lobelias too, but it turns out we don't.
We have laelias, an orchid. Named after the vestal virgin. Ours are
aboreal, have long stems, produce beautiful lilac and white flowers that
bloom for about a month.

Wish I were well enough to travel. Gordon and I would come and impose
on you and Richard and all your flora and fauna.

Hey, Joan, speaking of lilac. All these aches and pains get to be a tad
discouraging after a decade or two don't they. I understand a new pill
is being tested. it will turn things around. Instead of aches and pains
we'll have pains and aches.

I also share your problems with typing. My typing and spelling get worse
and worser. Well, I suppose it's some comfort that we can still read
cursive. Have you found any kind of cream or rub that helps your shoulder?
I tried a cream called "Icy Hot" some years ago. Helped my sore back.

Granni, I remember Tripoli. Instead of a board, we had an oil cloth. You
had to ante chips in various sections. Then if you had the right cards you
won the chip in the appropriate square. I think the game was also called
Michigan Rummy.

Parlor games and board games and card games were all popular before
the electronic era. I suppose today kids don't even know how to play
hide the thimble or pin the tail on the donkey. They certainly wouldn't
know about charades or black magic.

Sunflower, I had no idea we had an author amongst us. My daughter writes. I know how hard it is. I send up a prayer for no writer's block for you. I have a Cuisinart K-Cup coffeemaker. All of them, no matter the brand, have Keurig innards. They hold the patent. Mine came with a plastic filter into which I can put my own coffee. Much less expensive that way but a real pain to have to rinse out the mesh filter. Coffee grounds are bad for plumbing so I have to clean it over the trash can.

I have one of those automatic trash cans--you just wave your hand over it and it opens and then closes. The problems come when I need the top to stay open while I clean out the filter. I have to ensure I keep my hand over the beam or it will slam shut. I really am a whiner. Other than that, though, I looooove my trash can. The ones with the foot pedals never last. With this kind, one never has to touch it, a good thing when one has gooey, sticky hands.

The hangers are those black fuzzy ones which are so thin. I have plastic ones now and they do take up too much space but I can't deal with wire hangers. Just call me, "Mammy Dearest." The hangers come in all kinds of colors on HSN but Bed Bath & Beyond only carry a few colors. I don't care; black is fine with me. It hasn't been that long since I completely reorganized my closet and now, I'm going to have to do it again. I do use the plastic shoulder covers for the dressy things I seldom wear so they don't get dusty on the shoulders.

Watching fireworks from a beach house sounds wonderful. I'm always here by myself on the 4th. With DST, it doesn't get dark until I'm usually ready to put on my jammies. I'm afraid I would fall asleep driving home. Last time I saw them, it was over our big river here. They also have them at the beach. Parking is sooooo tight at our beach that it just isn't worth having to spend the whole day in order to get a parking place. It would be better to rent a room on the beach. Hmmmmm, that's a great idea.

Rock, it's so good to see you posting. Well, I'm not seeing you post but I am seeing your post. Thanks for the good wishes for my shoulder. I'm no longer taking ibuprophen all the time. It isn't healed completely but it's better. I think I'll go back slowly to the PT just to keep it from tightening up.

I remember the "old time" radio programs: "Fibber McGee and Molly; The Long Ranger; Burns and Allen; The Shadow; Jack Benney," etc. My friends and I would sit around the radio and our immaginations would go wild as we listened. It's kinda like reading. My mind pictures everything I read. Watching TV is so passive. Still, when I'm tired, in pain, or sick, I love watching mindless TV. It's like a med for me. Hmmmm, mindless TV--is that redundant redundant?

The rain's been coming down in torrents all night. I got up about 3:30 because I couldn't sleep. I'm going to post this and come back to it just in case we lose power... There, I'm back. We lost power about 12:30. I have those plug-in flashlights and when we lose power, they come on. I got them at Costco, two of them for $20. They are the best thing ever, right up there with my automatic trash can I have them all over. It's 5:30 a.m. and it's still raining hard with rolling thunder and lightening. The lightening and thunder was truly scary during the night--right on top of us.

Poor Simon showed up for his breakfast. He didn't know what to do. He usually runs down to the landing while I put his breakfast out. Well, it was raining really hard on the stairway and he was getting so wet, he was about to run off. I quickly put his dish down, ran back inside and called him. He came back and ate a big bowl of food. He was really hungry. I'm glad he ate so much as he's gotten thin. I'm hoping Barb will feed the cats when I go to Disney World and Denver. It's only a few days and she does like the cats.

OK, this is turning into another "War & Peace" so will say so long to y'all. As always, my prayers go with you.

Didn't expect to be back so soon. Since it was cooler than usual due to the rain, I decided to clean our balcony and stairs outside. I use hot water, Mr. Clean, and my outside broom to clean the balcony deck. Barb had taken her chairs inside so, after I cleaned our area, I moved two chairs and a little table in between our condos on the balcony. It doesn't look so desolate now. I also cleaned the cobwebs from under the eaves. Cobwebs and bugs also like to cling to the stucco walls. It feels good to feel as though I accomplished something. My back hurts, though, and I'm icing it.

Gotta clean the freezer today and that will be enough for me. This is twice what I am usually capable of. The sun is coming out and that outta turn this into a sauna. Glad I caught that break which allowed me to clean outside. It's bad Feng Shui to have an unkempt front door area. My lucky red geraniums are still blooming outside the door but they won't last long. Summer sucks down here for flowers.

Diane. I definitely think you should write whatever you want to. Not in a blog because you'll be very cautious. Write using your word program and be sure to do it every day or when you feel up to it. You might be very surprised at your talent. Its also a great way to get your mind off your pain.

Mikie: You are most ambitious! All those spider webs are such a PAIN. And explain to me how I can get them all cleaned off one day and the next morning everything is covered again. There must be one wild spider party going on while I'm sleeping. I sometimes think about Charlotte's Web. Yesterday I overturned some chairs to clean the underside and discovered egg cases that were round but had points all around them. I use a mixture of white vinegar and Dawn liquid detergent in a spray bottle. It's amazing how it can zap a black widow spider and send it to
arachnid heaven.

I'm assuming Simon is another poor little stray that wandered into the hood? So many homeless strays. Our neighbor had a stray deliver a little in her backyard. She was very good about it and at the right time gathered all the kittens and momma, had them spayed and brought them back home. I feel if you have a pet they need to have this done.

Barry: I buy large 8 oz containers of Capsorma Plus, a pain relieving gel. I've tried the Hot and icy, Super Blue Stuff, and some other products, and have found that the Capsorma works pretty good for me.....you just need to use a glove to put it on because of the capsacian in it which will burn if you get it on your face or near your eyes. I've also used Sombra Warm therapy pain relieving gel but you have find a dealer for that. The capsorma I call the company direct and order it from them. I even popped out the ball in an old super blue stuff and put in the capsorma, returned the ball and now carry it in my car and my purse for a handy roll on.

All that talk about storms and rain makes me WANT them! In So Cal we never get weather. It's always sunny and come summer hot. This morning I got up with a bad headaches plus aches everywhere. I broke down and made a cup of caffeine after taking a pain pill and went outside. It's very overcast this morning and a bit cooler. I'm praying for cloudy for at least a couple of days and maybe a little shower or two. I sat outside with my feet in the pool reading a book called, "What to say when you talk to yourself" while drinking my coffee. Written back in the 80s, and actually very similar to books by Louise Hay, but it's good to remind myself that I CAN reprogram my brain.

OK....at this point in my tomato battle with the possum the count is 8 to l, his favor. The lone one I picked yesterday was eaten last night.....really good....but if this keeps up it's going to be fried green tomatoes and lots of leaves in my composter. I've got bells hung now on the netting and last night I put blocks of wood l/2 way (teetering) on the block wall hoping that if it got knocked off it would scare him. I also put those solar lights in front of the plants with tinfoil covered paper plates to reflect even more light......doesn't help.

Diane - What kind of green drinks are you talking about? Sounds interesting !! Glad it has been raining but not storming by you. Please send any extra rain here please. We are getting mighty dry !!! I should get some celery so I can eat it. DH wouldn't touch it raw unless it had some kind of goodies on it. Not his favorite type of veggie. Last time I bought celery I forgot to clean it and the stalk just sat in the frig and you know what happened to it - not pretty. I did that some time ago and then got out of the habit. The extra magnesium and cinnamon seems to be helping my b/p also perhaps the newest dosage of Armour may be kicking in too.